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PST exit exam questions and answers — Set 9

Set 9 of the Personal Survival Techniques (PST) exit exam bank — 28 of 268 questions, with the correct option marked and a one-line explanation for every one. Read it end to end, jump to a single set, or search it — then sit the same bank as a timed paper. The real DG Shipping exit exam is 30 marks with 15 to pass.

These are the bank's original groupings. Practising deals the whole bank out again every time you reshuffle, so a practice “Set 3” is a different 30 questions each time — the set numbers below are the source file's, and are only used here so the key stays navigable. Options are listed in their original order with fixed letters; when you practise, those move too.

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28 of 28 shown · Set 9

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Set 9 — 28 PST exit exam questions with answers

1. What is a Thermal Protective Aid (TPA)?

  • A. A waterproof aluminum-coated bag or suit that reduces evaporative and convective body heat loss
  • B. An electrically heated thermal blanket powered by batteries
  • C. A woolen sleeping bag for bridge watchkeeping
  • D. A rubber wetsuit for scuba diving
Answer: A — A waterproof aluminum-coated bag or suit that reduces evaporative and convective body heat loss
TPAs are low thermal conductivity metallic plastic enclosures supplied in survival craft to wrap hypothermic survivors and retain body heat.

2. What is the minimum required buoyancy provided by an adult SOLAS lifejacket?

  • A. 150 Newtons (or 275 N for heavy weather suits)
  • B. 50 Newtons
  • C. 500 Newtons
  • D. 20 Newtons
Answer: A — 150 Newtons (or 275 N for heavy weather suits)
SOLAS inherently buoyant or inflatable adult lifejackets must provide at least 150 N of buoyancy (turning unconscious survivor face-up within 5s).

3. How soon after entering a life raft should survivors take anti-seasickness (motion sickness) tablets?

  • A. As soon as possible before seasickness symptoms begin
  • B. Only after vomiting has continued for 24 hours
  • C. Just before rescue vessel arrives
  • D. Never take tablets in survival craft
Answer: A — As soon as possible before seasickness symptoms begin
Anti-seasickness medicine is effective as a preventative; once nausea/vomiting starts, tablets cannot be absorbed and dehydration accelerates.

4. What is the fresh water ration allocation per person provided in a SOLAS Life Raft Pack A?

  • A. 1.5 liters per person
  • B. 0.5 liters per person
  • C. 5.0 liters per person
  • D. 10.0 liters per person
Answer: A — 1.5 liters per person
Pack A liferafts contain 1.5 liters of airtight packaged drinking water per person (Pack B for short voyages contains no water).

5. During the first 24 hours in a life raft, what is the medical rule regarding fresh water consumption?

  • A. No water should be issued during the first 24 hours (unless injured/sick) to conserve supplies and body fluid balance
  • B. Drink full 1.5 liters immediately on boarding
  • C. Drink 500 ml every hour
  • D. Mix sea water with fresh water 50/50
Answer: A — No water should be issued during the first 24 hours (unless injured/sick) to conserve supplies and body fluid balance
Except for casualties, water is withheld for 24 hours because the human body retains fluid initially; conserving water extends survival endurance.

6. Why must sea water NEVER be ingested by survivors in a life raft?

  • A. High salt concentration causes kidney dehydration, rapid delirium, and fatal kidney failure
  • B. It causes immediate tooth decay
  • C. It turns body skin green
  • D. It causes temporary loss of speech
Answer: A — High salt concentration causes kidney dehydration, rapid delirium, and fatal kidney failure
Kidneys require more fresh water to excrete sea salt than the volume ingested, accelerating fatal cellular dehydration.

7. How is a capsized inflatable life raft righted by a single survivor in the water?

  • A. Stand on the CO2 cylinder, grab the righting straps on the bottom, lean back with wind at back
  • B. Push upward from under the center canopy
  • C. Swim under raft and inflate spare chamber
  • D. Wait for helicopter to flip raft
Answer: A — Stand on the CO2 cylinder, grab the righting straps on the bottom, lean back with wind at back
Righting straps are molded along the raft bottom; standing on gas bottle and pulling straps uses body weight and wind assistance to flip raft upright.

8. What safety equipment is attached to a SOLAS lifebuoy fitted at the ship's bridge wings for quick release?

  • A. Self-igniting light and self-activating orange smoke signal (MOB marker)
  • B. 200m line with anchor
  • C. EPIRB and SART bundle
  • D. Immersion suit
Answer: A — Self-igniting light and self-activating orange smoke signal (MOB marker)
Quick-release bridge wing lifebuoys (4.3 kg minimum mass) release combined 2-hour light and 15-minute smoke markers for daytime/nighttime MOB marking.

9. What is the purpose of water pockets (ballast bags) fitted under the bottom of an inflatable life raft?

  • A. To fill with sea water to provide stability against capsizing in wind and waves
  • B. To store fresh drinking water
  • C. To catch rain water
  • D. To hold survival food rations
Answer: A — To fill with sea water to provide stability against capsizing in wind and waves
Weighted sea-water ballast pockets under the floor provide low center of gravity and suction resistance against wind gusts flipping empty rafts.

10. What battery shelf-life is required for SOLAS lifejacket lights and survival craft equipment lights?

  • A. 5 years
  • B. 1 year
  • C. 10 years
  • D. 6 months
Answer: A — 5 years
SOLAS position-indicating lights, HRUs, and pyrotechnics specify a maximum operational service life / expiry of 5 years.

11. What minimum duration must a SOLAS lifejacket position-indicating light operate continuously once activated?

  • A. 8 hours at 0.75 candela intensity
  • B. 2 hours
  • C. 24 hours
  • D. 48 hours
Answer: A — 8 hours at 0.75 candela intensity
Lifejacket lights must provide white light of >=0.75 cd in all directions of upper hemisphere for at least 8 hours.

12. What method should be used by survivors in a life raft to maintain body warmth in cold climates?

  • A. Huddle close together, close entrance flaps, deploy floor insulation, use TPAs
  • B. Vigorous continuous jumping on raft floor
  • C. Keep entrance flaps wide open for draft
  • D. Pour sea water over clothing
Answer: A — Huddle close together, close entrance flaps, deploy floor insulation, use TPAs
Conserving heat requires trapping air layers: huddling, closing canopy entrances, inflating double-floor insulation, and wearing TPAs.

13. What is the primary signaling device used by a life raft lookout during daylight to attract distant ships or aircraft?

  • A. Heliograph (signaling mirror)
  • B. Whistle
  • C. Red hand flare
  • D. Flashlight
Answer: A — Heliograph (signaling mirror)
A heliograph reflects sunlight flashes visible over 10-15 miles to aircraft and vessels on clear days without expending pyrotechnics.

14. What SOLAS regulation specifies the mandatory emergency drills for crew members on passenger and cargo ships?

  • A. SOLAS Chapter III Regulation 19
  • B. SOLAS Chapter I Regulation 5
  • C. SOLAS Chapter VII Regulation 2
  • D. SOLAS Chapter XII Regulation 1
Answer: A — SOLAS Chapter III Regulation 19
SOLAS III/19 requires every crew member to participate in at least one abandon ship drill and one fire drill every month (or within 24h of port departure if >25% crew changed).

15. What is the function of the knife kept in a pocket near the painter attachment point outside a life raft canopy?

  • A. To cut the painter line after all survivors have boarded and raft is ready to clear the sinking ship
  • B. To catch fish
  • C. To puncture damaged air chambers
  • D. To open canned food
Answer: A — To cut the painter line after all survivors have boarded and raft is ready to clear the sinking ship
A safety pocket contains a buoyant, blunt-tipped safety knife to sever the painter before the sinking vessel drags the life raft underwater.

16. What is the purpose of the inner double canopy and arch tubes on an inflatable life raft?

  • A. Traps insulating air layer between canopies to maintain internal temperature and protect against wind/rain
  • B. Holds emergency solar panels
  • C. Provides lookout platform for survivors
  • D. Stores rainwater collection drums
Answer: A — Traps insulating air layer between canopies to maintain internal temperature and protect against wind/rain
Double-walled canopy arches automatically inflate to support the roof, creating a dead-air insulating barrier against extreme cold and heat.

17. How should a survivor in the water approach a floating life raft to board it safely?

  • A. Approach from the windward side or boarding ladder, use boarding ramp/ladder, pull in using grab lines
  • B. Climb over top of upper canopy arch
  • C. Swim underneath raft floor
  • D. Pull hard on sea anchor line
Answer: A — Approach from the windward side or boarding ladder, use boarding ramp/ladder, pull in using grab lines
Boarding via the inflatable ramp or ladder at the entrance prevents damaging canopy structure and avoids getting trapped under floor.

18. What equipment item inside a life raft pack is used to repair small punctures in buoyancy tubes?

  • A. Puncture clamps (sealing clamps) and rubber repair patches with adhesive
  • B. Duct tape only
  • C. Steel wire and pliers
  • D. Hot soldering iron
Answer: A — Puncture clamps (sealing clamps) and rubber repair patches with adhesive
Life raft equipment packs include screw-type emergency sealing clamps for immediate leak stoppage and rubber patch kits for permanent repairs.

19. What is the function of the topping-up pump (bellows hand pump) supplied in a life raft?

  • A. To manually top up pressure in main buoyancy chambers or canopy arches if pressure drops due to cold air contraction
  • B. To pump out bilge water from vessel deck
  • C. To inflate lifejackets
  • D. To spray water over canopy
Answer: A — To manually top up pressure in main buoyancy chambers or canopy arches if pressure drops due to cold air contraction
Air contracts in cold weather; hand bellows allow survivors to maintain structural pressure in buoyancy tubes.

20. What visual signal is displayed on a ship's lifebuoy to indicate its location at night?

  • A. White self-igniting electric light capable of burning for at least 2 hours
  • B. Green flashing laser
  • C. Red strobe light burning for 10 minutes
  • D. Yellow acoustic buzzer
Answer: A — White self-igniting electric light capable of burning for at least 2 hours
SOLAS requires at least half of all lifebuoys to be fitted with automatic self-igniting white lights (>= 2 cd) operating for >= 2 hours.

21. What is the primary danger of hypothermia when immersed in cold sea water (< 15 degrees C)?

  • A. Rapid loss of body core heat leading to exhaustion, unconsciousness, cardiac arrest, and drowning
  • B. Sunburn and heat stroke
  • C. Immediate bone fractures
  • D. Loss of vision within 2 minutes
Answer: A — Rapid loss of body core heat leading to exhaustion, unconsciousness, cardiac arrest, and drowning
Cold water conducts heat 25 times faster than air; core cooling below 35 deg C causes muscular paralysis, ventricular fibrillation, and death.

22. What is the purpose of the HELP position (Heat Escape Lessening Posture) for a single person in cold water wearing a lifejacket?

  • A. Cross arms over chest, press thighs tightly together, keep head above water to protect high heat-loss areas
  • B. Swim fast continuously to generate body heat
  • C. Tread water vigorously with arms and legs
  • D. Float face down in water
Answer: A — Cross arms over chest, press thighs tightly together, keep head above water to protect high heat-loss areas
HELP position protects high heat-loss regions (groin, armpits, head/neck), reducing cooling rate by 50% compared to active swimming.

23. What form of group formation should survivors in the water adopt while waiting for rescue?

  • A. Huddle position: form a tight circle facing inward, wrap arms around each other's lifejackets
  • B. Spread out 50 meters apart in a long line
  • C. Swim in opposite directions
  • D. Dive under water repeatedly
Answer: A — Huddle position: form a tight circle facing inward, wrap arms around each other's lifejackets
Huddling conserves collective body heat, creates a larger visual target for rescuers, and boosts psychological morale.

24. What SOLAS marking is required on all lifejackets, lifebuoys, and immersion suits?

  • A. Vessel name, port of registry, and retro-reflective tape fitted according to IMO resolution
  • B. Master's home address
  • C. Company stock market ticker
  • D. Engine horsepower rating
Answer: A — Vessel name, port of registry, and retro-reflective tape fitted according to IMO resolution
LSA equipment must be permanently marked with ship name and port of registry in block capital letters, plus approved retro-reflective material patches.

25. What type of food ration is provided in a SOLAS survival craft equipment pack?

  • A. High-calorie vacuum-packed energy biscuits (not less than 10,000 kJ per person)
  • B. Canned salted meat
  • C. Fresh fruit and vegetables
  • D. Dehydrated soups requiring boiling water
Answer: A — High-calorie vacuum-packed energy biscuits (not less than 10,000 kJ per person)
Rations provide >=10,000 kJ (2400 kcal) per person of non-protein, non-thirst-provoking, palatable energy bars.

26. What is the function of the hand-held orange smoke flare in a life raft signaling kit?

  • A. Daytime visual pinpointing for rescue aircraft and ships
  • B. Nighttime long-range illumination
  • C. Heating life raft interior
  • D. Repelling sharks
Answer: A — Daytime visual pinpointing for rescue aircraft and ships
Orange smoke creates a dense wind-drifted smoke column highly visible to daytime search aircraft.

27. What is the requirement for testing a SART on board during routine safety inspections?

  • A. Switch to 'Test' mode briefly, observe visual indicator light and audible beeper, verify response on 9 GHz radar screen
  • B. Deploy into sea water for 4 hours
  • C. Disassemble internal circuit board
  • D. Connect to 220V AC mains
Answer: A — Switch to 'Test' mode briefly, observe visual indicator light and audible beeper, verify response on 9 GHz radar screen
SART testing uses the built-in self-test mode to confirm transmitter circuits, LED/beeper response, and radar indication without triggering false alarms.

28. What action must be taken with a Pyrotechnic device (flare) that has reached its manufacturer expiration date?

  • A. Landed ashore to an authorized disposal facility according to local/flag state regulations
  • B. Fired off from bridge deck during port stay
  • C. Thrown into ship incinerator
  • D. Dumped in harbor waters
Answer: A — Landed ashore to an authorized disposal facility according to local/flag state regulations
Expired pyrotechnics are dangerous explosive hazardous waste; they must be disposed of via licensed shore reception contractors.

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